A Crash Course Encounter
by Ill-Intentions
Summary: In the crumbling streets of the Crash Course, enemies meet and become unlikely friends. Over time, many things happen quickly and explosivel y, and the two hold onto their friendship for as long as they can, in hopes that one day, both sides will be able to come together, end the ongoing war and eventually peace be restored. Disclaimer: PVZ doesn't belong to us, the plot does.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone, my name is TastyBlueCrayon and welcome to 'A Crash Course Encounter', a collaboration with my good friend Stowlfgang 'Peas' Ambrose. Now, this little story is based off of a thing we both have been doing for a little while now, and he had the brilliant idea to turn it into this :D. Just a little thing before you get ahead to reading this, though. The format is a tad confusing only because of the format we used in the original thing. At the end of most paragraphs, you'll see a sentence like 'The Peashooter/Footsoldier nodded'. That means that the next section of dialogue belongs to said Peashooter/Footsoldier, and not the one in front of it. Just a little tip to help you guys better understand this. Also, I'm assuming that Bold A/Ns are mine and** _Italic A/N's are his._ **That's about it, I think, and now… Well, enjoy the Chapter then XD. This took a little bit to write, but we both had a ton of fun with it, and we hope you'll enjoy reading it :D**

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The Peashooter leapt and bound forward as he chased down the Foot Soldier trying to escape him and his squad members. He leapt over a fallen power pole, leapt over a trench full of stagnant water and very nearly caught up, until he ran into a wall just as the Foot Soldier slipped through a small gap in the concrete wall barely big enough for him. The Peashooter sprinted forward and dived through the gap, leaving behind his squadmates who were unable to follow. The Peashooter cautiously advanced through the crumbling courtyard, a ruined fountain stood as the centrepiece of the overgrown courtyard, the yells of battle muffled by a waterfall on the side of the large, collapsing, tudor style manor. The Peashooter followed the sound of something shuffling away from him and found the Foot Soldier walking around the manor. The Peashooter leapt forward and shouted out ' _boo_ ', giving the Foot Soldier a fright, causing them to Rocket Jump in panic. To the Peashooter's great surprise, the Foot Soldier slammed face first into the rusted guttering of the Manor's second floor. The Peashooter sprinted forward and jumped over the decayed fountain and ran up to the sitting Foot Soldier, who was grabbing their face in pain. The Peashooter knelt down beside them.

"A-Ahh… I hit my face again! Why do I always hit my face?" The Foot Soldier seemed to be mumbling to themselves.

"Maybe you shouldn't use your Rocket Jump ability until you have a clear shot?" The Peashooter replied to the mumbling Foot Soldier.

"Yeah that-that's probably the best idea. I just tend to panic, I guess..." The Foot Soldier seemed shaken by the slam.

"Hey, cheer up. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." The Peashooter started to pat the back of the wounded Foot Soldier, causing them to wince slightly, but they did laugh lightly.

"Thanks. It's just a little weird to control a lot of the time. You gotta get the aim just right or you might end up like that." The Peashooter nods at the Foot Soldier.

"I can see that. Looks like one hell of a way to get around though." The Foot Soldier nods at the Peashooter, unclasping his face.

"It is, it really is. One minute, you're standing with both feet on the ground, next thing you know you're going twenty feet in the air at 40 miles an hour." The Peashooter just whistles in awe.

"Remind me not to get into a race with you." The Peashooter's statement causes the Foot Soldier to laugh a little.

"Yeah, it's a lot to process at first. Especially for the unfortunate low-flying bird you might get splattered all over your helmet." The Peashooter laughed at the description of a bird being splattered upon the helmet of the Foot Soldier.

"The poor bird. I've had my share of slamming into birds on the move." The Foot Soldier nods in sympathy.

"Yeah. It sucks, huh? It was flying around, just having a ball and then all of a sudden, ' _Splat._ '" The Peashooter nods his agreement to the Foot Soldier.

"Yeah, poor thing… At least you have a helmet to stop it splattering all over your head. I think I spent over an hour washing bird guts off my leaves once." The Foot Soldier snickers at the Peashooter.

"Oh, gross. Wouldn't be surprised, though, especially if it was a seagull or just a really fat small bird." The Peashooter nods as he looks a bit annoyed.

"Yeah...fat little pigeon. Not the first time I had done that either... need to look where I jump I think." The Foot Soldier laughs a little, mostly from left over nervousness of the situation at hand.

"Ehh, poor thing. Yeah, that might be a good idea, I need to as well." The Peashooter nods at the Foot Soldier's statement.

"Yeah, never saw it coming, poor blighter. But yeah, that seems like something we both gotta work on." The Peashooter laughs a little at their own sentence.

"They never really do, though. And… Yeah, I guess." The Foot Soldier now chuckled at their own sentence.

"Yeah… imagine that… just getting around casually, then being hit hard and fast from somewhere out of the blue… Actually, I know how that feels, freaking All-Stars." The Peashooter growled angrily as memories flashed in his mind while the Foot Soldier laughed a little at what the Peashooter just said.

"Yeah, All-Stars will do that to you, I'll admit that." The Foot Soldier looks around nervously for a second. "I probably shouldn't be saying something like that if another Zombie is nearby."

"I'd love to give an All-Star a taste of their own medicine." The Peashooter chuckles at the thought before continuing. "Too scrawny to do that though. Maybe I could convince a Chomper to do it though." The Peashooter thinks for a few seconds, leaving a small silence. "Don't worry, I'll protect you if one comes after you." The Foot Soldier looks a little confused by the last part of the Peashooter's statement.

"Really?" The Foot Soldier stammered at the Peashooter, who places a reassuring Pod on the Foot Soldier's shoulder.

"Of course, you haven't harmed me. Besides, if you _do_ betray me, I can hurt you in ways you'd never expect." The Foot Soldier flinched rather badly when the Peashooter placed their pod on his shoulder, causing the Peashooter to withdraw their pod.

"Haha, alright. I'll try to protect you as well. And, yeah, I'm sure you could. Running wouldn't be enough, that's for sure. I know that because, uhh…" The Foot Soldier paused in thought for a few seconds. "My brother ran, and that wasn't enough." The Peashooter gets a sad grimace on their face.

"Thanks, appreciate it, but you look like you're in pretty bad shape, I'll try and find a scientist, try and get them to chase me over here for you." The Peashooter's sad expression gets slightly sadder. "Sorry to hear about that…"

The Footsoldier nodded slightly, letting the Peashooter know it was okay "It's-it's alright. The guys at Zomboss Academy aren't the most, uhh…" The Foot Soldier moves the collar of his shirt a little bit, exposing a gigantic bruise that took up most of his shoulder "Gentle… Alright. Th-Thank you. And it's alright, it wasn't your fault."

"I uh… you need some help? Getting up? But alright… still, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I… I lost my mother and father in a raid… many years ago…" The Peashooter starts to tear up.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I think I'm okay, thank you though." The Foot Soldier thinks about it for a second or so. "Y-Yeah... I actually found part of his rib-bone in Chomper Goo." The Foot Soldier looks at the Peashooter, sympathy clearly evident in the look on his face. "Aww, I'm sorry." The Foot Soldier notices the Peashooter tearing up and feels a little worse. The Peashooter wipes the tear away.

"I uh… s-sorry… Th-That sounds horrific." The Peashooter forces a smile. "B-But it's alright. They died doing what they loved." The Foot Soldier's look of sympathy strengthens a little.

"Y-Yeah… It was. To confirm what you just said, It hit me in the arm and actually got stuck. The only way I found out it was his bone was a few Scientists running a DNA scan on it. Some sick part of me thought it was his morbid way of saying ' _Hi_.' or _'Remember me'_ or something like that." The Foot Soldier smiles a little because the Peashooter did. "Yeah. Better than dying in fear, that's for sure." The Peashooter's smile falters and he looks down at the ground sadly.

"Th-That's… disturbing… and really sad. B-But th-that's an interesting way to look at it." The Foot Soldier utter a strange, almost like a prolonged laugh.

"'Yeah, a little. It's alright though. And uhh… Haha, yeah. I'm known for that kind of thing." The Peashooter laughed a little, the smile returning to his green face.

"Well that's definitely something to be known for." The Foot Soldier nods and smiles a little.

"Yeah. The thought of it is a little weird though, just _'Hey, little brother! I'm dead! Take this rib bone to remember me by!_ '" The Peashooter laughs again.

"Yeah, that is a pretty unique way to say ' _Remember me_ '." The Foot Soldier laughs too.

"Kinda messed up, too. I mean, just the fact that you find part of a bone in Chomper Goo in the first place is unusual." The Peashooter laughs once more.

"Yeah, it is a pretty messed up way indeed. I don't know how I would feel, finding part of a relative in some goo stuck to my arm." The Foot Soldier nods at the Peashooter's statement.

"It was a little trippy. Lets you know what the Goo is made from, though. I actually wondered that for a little while before that happened." The Peashooter chuckles lightly.

"Yeah, I still wonder that... most of the Chompers don't like to talk about it." The Foot Soldier rolls his eyes.

"Ha. That figures. I mean, If I did that, I wouldn't like to talk about it either." The Peashooter nods in agreement.

" Yeah, Chompers aren't talkative as a whole." The Foot Soldier nods back.

"No, and neither are Scientists. You can't get All-Stars to shut up, though. Let me tell you, THAT is annoying." The Peashooter laughs lightly in reply.

"Sounds different...the Sunflowers won't stop bothering any of us while the Cacti are pretty quiet... but the other Peashooters, they can't stop talking." The Foot Soldier laughs lightly too.

"Yeah. The talkative people tell some weird stories as well. Like an All-Star was telling me about something that happened to him when he was alive. It was something like," The Foot Soldier starts speaking in a bad imitation of an All-Stars voice. "' _Oh, my sister had this boyfriend who was a real jerk sometimes so one day we got into this huge argument and really ticked me off so I kicked him in the nuts and he stopped'_ " The Foot Soldier returns to his normal voice. ", or something along those lines." The Peashooter chuckles heavily.

"That's a pretty good one. Once, a Commando Peashooter was telling a story about his sister, falling in love with a human. He kept saying no body elses barn door swings that way. The poor girl nearly lost it." The Foot Soldier nods at the Peashooter.

"Ahh. That's kinda different. Hearing things like that is always interesting. Takes your mind off the battle for a little bit, that's for sure." The Foot Soldier laughs a little harder than before, then cringed a little like he'd gotten pain in his stomach and stopped.

"Heh, yeah. It's definitely nice." The Foot Soldier laughs lightly as he nods once more.

"Yeah, it is. Plus, it helps you get to know the people you're with better as well, in a way." The Peashooter nods his agreement.

"Yeah, indeed it does. Helps add that level of… personal connection to your squad mates." The Foot Soldier nods his agreement.

"That sounds… nice. People don't really do that here, but when they do it's rock solid and you're never gonna break it. And, with the whole knowing what to avoid thing. If a person, say, drowned, and there was a swimming pool nearby, the people in that group would do everything in their power to prevent the person who drowned from seeing the pool because well… They might go into a panic attack. As for me, I really hate cleavers. It makes me glad that there aren't much of any around here." The Peashooter nods his agreement after a few seconds processing the Foot Soldier's words.

"Ah, that sounds... really nice, especially when that bond is made. And I never expected Zombies to care so much about each other... it's just not what we're told. But hey, cleavers aren't too bad… I'm terrified of any and every weapon you guys wield."

"Y-Yeah. It's cool when it happens." The Foot Soldier sighs a little. "I can imagine so. It's just Zomboss that makes those ideas sort of pop up in people's heads. Funny how one person can change the entire view of something like that." The Foot Soldier seems to be recalling something unpleasant, leading him to laugh nervously. "Yeah, but if you knew cleavers like I know them they'd be pretty bad. I won't use my weapon on you anytime soon, I know that much right about now."

"Yeah, it's sad that he's caused so much discord." The Peashooter thinks about something for a second. "You're not all bad, you know? And sorry, about that, that sounds pretty bad." The Peashooter chuckles slightly. "Thanks about that, I'll try to get you back to your side safely, if you like." The Foot Soldier nods in agreement.

"It really is, and thanks for saying so." The Foot Soldier recalls the pain he got in his stomach and slightly laughs with the same nervous tone. "Y-Yeah... Just don't walk alone at night at the ' _bad_ ' parts of Chomp Town, and I'm sure you'll be just fine. That'd be nice, th-thank you." The Peashooter smiles genuinely.

"No problem. And yeah, but hey, I can take care of myself on my own... Well, unless there are Gargantuars wandering around the bad end of Chomp Town, we aren't allowed down there." The Peashooter holds out his right pod to the Foot Soldier who still sat on the ground. "Come on, I'll help you there." The Foot Soldier smiles back.

"Well, yeah, I'm sure you could. Sometimes that doesn't stop people, though." The Foot Soldier thinks for a minute. "I haven't seen any, but it's been a long time since I've been there, so I might be wrong." The Foot Soldier stands up on his own. "Alright, thank you. If we run into anyone, I'll make sure you don't get shot." The Peashooter starts walking towards the rusted gate at the front of the Manor's courtyard and pushes over the bent out of shape gate. The Foot Soldier limps alongside the Peashooter as they walk along the cracked road.

"Heh, thanks for the re-assurance. But yeah, some of the more… aggressive Peashooters and Chompers head down there, they come back humbled, that's for sure." The Peashooter thinks for a second. "And I'll make sure you don't get shot, by either side." The Peashooter jumps over a garbage skip, the Foot Soldier just limps around the side of it.

"Anytime. And I'm sure they do. A lot of the more violent gangs of us hang out there, too, so that's probably why. Having Gargantuars there wouldn't make it easier on them, that's for sure. And, uh... Thank you. I'll do the same." The Peashooter nods as he slips through a gap in a collapsing house.

"Ah, I should probably tell them about it… but if I do… Dave might get concerned and send us to attack it. Yeah, Gargantuars, had my fair share of run ins with them…" The Peashooter looks at scar in their stem once they're inside the collapsing home. "And look, you don't have to, I'd throw my life aside for you." The Foot Soldier enters through the unhinged front door.

"Well, those guys prey on anything that goes in there, including weaker members of our army, such as myself, so… I don't know what to tell you here. They can be pretty violent at times, but you'd be surprised how gentle they can be as well. I'm sure if they caught the gangs doing stuff, they'd try to get them to stop." The Foot Soldier is a bit surprised by the statement, but doesn't really show it. "It's okay, you don't have to. I think I got it." The Peashooter exits through a large hole in the side of the lounge, scowling as he does so.

"Idiots, I would go in there and teach them a lesson if I could." The Peashooter gives a confused look as he slides across a fence. "Gargantuars? Those brutes can be gentle? The more you know. The Sunflower Queen is a royal pain, she acts like royalty, she's nothing more than an experiment gone right for once." The Peashooter chuckles slightly. "Alright, I should trust in your abilities, sorry about the lack of trust. I just… heh… remembering your attempt to escape." The Foot Soldier nods in agreement as he goes through the gate.

"I'm sure a lot of us would. Yeah, they can be really gentle at times. I remember one time when a Gargantuar came back after a battle carrying bunch of injured people. He set them down in front of some scientists like he was a mother putting down a baby or something. When he was told that a few of the people had died along the way, you know what he did. He just got this… distraught look and plopped down right there. He just cried and cried" The Foot Soldier looks a bit shocked at the sudden of the Sunflower Queen topic. "I didn't know there was a Sunflower Queen. That's kinda cool." The Foot Soldier chuckles a little too towards the end. "It's alright. I mean, if you tried to hyper away, jumped and hit your face on something I'd be a little doubtful, too, no offence." The Foot Soldier kinda laughs at himself thinking about it. "Let me tell you, it hurt. It still hurts." The Peashooter laughs a little.

"Sounds like an awesome sight to see, just this lumbering murder machine, breaking down over death. And yeah, there's a Sunflower Queen… self proclaimed Sunflower Queen, mind you." The Peashooter blushes in embarrassment. "I uh… imagine it still hurts." The Peashooter chuckles slightly as he jumps over a chunk of metal. The Foot Soldier just nods as he limps around the chunk.

"It sure was. Nobody expected it, that's for sure. Oh, jeez. Self-Proclaimed, huh?... Like Zomboss!" The Foot Soldier laughs at his own terrible joke until a few seconds later he cringes again from pain. "Ow!" The Foot Soldier pauses awkwardly for a second before continuing speaking. "It does. Like I said 20 feet in the air at 40 miles an hour. One of these days, that routine is gonna get me creamed." The Peashooter nods as he just walks through the crater blasted field.

"Ah, I'm not surprised. That'd give me one hell of a fright. The Peashooter laughs alongside the joke but begins to look concerned when the Foot Soldier says ' _ow_ '. "You… alright? And yeah, you might need to start watching out for buildings next time, otherwise, I might not be there to save your grass." The Peashooter chuckles at himself. "Nah, you'll take care of yourself well."

"You should've seen the group of Scientists. I think they thought the Gargantuar was gonna start attacking them all." The Foot Soldier was wincing slightly with one hand on his stomach. "And… I-It's nothing… Sometimes if I laugh it just kinda makes my stomach get this sharp pain in it, because well… How I died had a lot to do with that area… and what used to be contained there. And I definitely will, don't worry. Also, alright. If you really think so." The Peashooter snickers a little.

"Yeah, that'd probably happen" The Peashooter mumbles bad things about scientists before looking around concerned. "You sure you don't want to lie down or anything, I can cover you while you recover. But I'll avoid the subject, if you want. You'll survive out there, you're a good guy, don't let Zomboss take that away from you or any others."

"I think I'm okay, but thanks for your concern." The Foot Soldier nods as he limps around a crater full of stagnant water. "I-It's alright. I mean, I'll talk about it but, it's just kinda awkward because you're a plant. Not that there's anything wrong with being one, It's just not at the same level of understanding when it comes to these sort of things, I suppose" The Foot Soldier smiles. "Thanks, I appreciate you saying that" The Peashooter nods as he leaps over the stagnant pool.

"Alright then. I can see why it would be awkward to talk about… it's an experience that I will never go through and survive… But thanks for saying that." The Peashooter smiles back as he stumbles a bit on his landing." No problem. Sometimes the truth doesn't have to hurt."

"Yeah… you've got a point there. You're welcome." The Foot Soldier shakes his head. "It really doesn't. Not all the time." The Peashooter nods.

"Yeah… unless someone figures out how to zombify plants… but that'd be strange. Yeah… but all the truth I've gotten has nearly killed me." The Foot Soldier shrugs as he limps alongside the Peashooter.

"Or, you just get revived. It's only strange if you make it strange, I suppose." The Foot Soldier gets that look of Sympathy again. "And I'm sorry to hear that."

"Being knocked out and actually being killed are two different things for us…" The Peashooter shakes his head vigorously after a few seconds, leading the Foot Soldier to give him a befuddled look, but loses the look when he stops. "But yeah, that makes sense, it's only weird that I'm having a conversation with a zombie if I make it, right? And It's alright, just tough in our camps."

"Yeah, pretty much. It gets tough in ours too, a lot of the time. Probably not as tough as yours could get, though." The Peashooter shrugs as he jumps a creek.

"Ah, that's good. I'm sure it does… your camps don't get too quiet… do they?" The Foot Soldier gives off a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?" The Peashooter sighs as he develops a sombre look.

"Everyday, it just...gets quieter...the number of houses being occupied decreases...we're dying faster than our numbers can grow." The Foot Soldier closes their eyes tightly in concentration, nearly stumbling as they limp through the creek.

"Oh, jeez... but now that you mention it, the camps can be really friggin' loud one day and then pretty quiet the next day... Not sure if that counts." The Peashooter goes to pat the Foot Soldier's back, but then stopped his pod in mid air, remembered what happened last time and decided not to.

"It's… fine… Dave realize this and is trying to find ways to keep us alive longer… altered plant food, armour… I'll stop. But that makes sense, your numbers must fluctuate greatly." The Foot Soldier nods hesitantly as he clambers up the muddy bank of the creek.

"A-Alright. Yeah, Dave, he… He seems like a good guy. And yeah, the numbers do. And they go from one extreme to the other as well. Either we've got more people than we know what to do with, or we have hardly any people." The Peashooter waits for the Foot Soldier at the top of the muddy embankment.

"He is… he's done a lot for us. We throw down our lives for him and the other humans left in our way to repay him and them." The Foot Soldier nods hesitantly when he reaches the top of the embankment.

"I can imagine it would be. But, hey, you're fighting for a good cause at least. I kinda thought about that once, and it's like _'Hey, they're fighting to protect people, that's good blah blah blah blah blah'_ and then I think back to other Zombies and I think _'Wait... What do we fight for?'_ Needless to say, I couldn't think of anything." The Peashooter nods.

"I… yeah… w-we do. But we've caused so many zombies a second, painful death. Thinking about it… how traumatizing must it be to face death for a second time?" The Foot Soldier shudders a little.

"Y-Yeah... At first, it doesn't seem like anything too major, but then you get this WEIRD feeling. There's no other word to describe it then weird. And you recognize it, because you've felt it before and it lead to your first death... and you panic. You just panic." The Peashooter frowns sadly.

"That sounds... horrible. Must really suck if you died in a similar way to how ever any of us could kill you…" The Foot Soldier nods.

"It is... and it does. If a person got a pea Gatling bullet to the chest, and their cause of death was being shot near the same spot... They basically have a nervous breakdown because they panic so much. I've seen some of the toughest All-Stars in our league blubber like little girls because of things like that." The Peashooter winces slightly, but laughs at the All-Star part.

"That's gotta really suck. I feel bad for using that ability now. But heck... I'd love to see an All-Star break down like that." The Foot Soldier nods once more and leans against one of the trees growing on the embankment, the Peashooter doing the same.

"It probably does, but you shouldn't feel bad. I mean, they're attacking the people you love, so it's understandable." The Foot Soldier laughs a little. "It's certainly not what you would expect to see, that's for sure." The Peashooter nods as well.

"Yeah... I'm doing this for a good cause... right?" The Peashooter chuckles. "Yeah, what I'm imagining is pretty good."

"Yeah, you're doing it for a good cause." The Foot Soldier thinks for a second. "I mean, at least you have a cause to fight. I don't really see much of any cause on our side, besides Zomboss being bored and willing to sacrifice a few men just for the heck of it."

"I… yeah… we are." The Peashooter thinks for a second. "Without this whole… war though… how would all of you survive… as far as the others and I know, you only eat brains." The Foot Soldier nods in agreement.

"Well, that's not entirely true… Well," The Foot Soldier thinks of how to word it. "It is, but it isn't. Zombies might eat flesh, or brains but not exactly HUMAN flesh or brains. I mean, we go out and shoot deer or something and eat it 90% of the time. Sure, some of the more rotted and mindless ones have mauled a few people because they couldn't find any wildlife, but that's pretty much the only reason." The Peashooter ' _Ah's_ ' in understanding.

"So… this whole war really is pointless? Both sides dying for some mad man's pleasure… disgusting." The Foot Soldier shrugs.

"Well, it's not pointless with you, but it's pretty pointless with us. I mean, Zomboss makes us attack the camps and everything. I mean, literally MAKES us. I've seen him command more than a few generals to pull guns out on their own men to get them out there to fight and try to take over. And I completely agree, it IS disgusting." The Foot Soldier thinks for a second. "Maybe taking over is a cause? I don't know. Not what I want to fight for, that's for sure." The Peashooter nods.

"Yeah, that's a bit umm… how do I say this without offending you… mindless. If you all turned against him, he'd have no chance." The Peashooter thinks for a second. "If you really don't want to fight for him… why not fight with us? I mean, if I can convince Dave you're good, he can convince the others." The Foot Soldier makes some strange noises.

"Well, it's their problem. I'm sure if we did, he couldn't but the Zombot he uses in extreme situations like that would probably kill half of our army before we could cause a noticeable dent in it." The Foot Soldier looks a little surprised at the second part of the Peashooters sentence and turns his head to look at him slowly. "With Plants, are you sure? I mean, Zombies probably have the worst reputations around here. I'm not sure if that would work." The Peashooter nods slowly.

"Ah yes... I forgot that he had a Zombot... that bastard killed my parents with it." The Peashooter shakes away some bad memories. "I can see that being a problem." The Peashooter nods his head a bit more confidently. "I'm sure I can convince Dave to trust you, he trusts in us as we trust in him, he'll see the good in you. Just getting you behind our lines may be the problem… and getting you to Dave will be the hard part… I'll try if I have to though, to get you out of there… if you don't want to be in there… that is." The Foot Soldier is unsure how to respond to that first part.

"I'm sure it's tough. I mean, losing my sibling was pretty awful, I can't imagine what-" The Foot Soldier covers his mouth with both hands when he realizes what he's doing. Slowly removes them a moment later. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I don't think I should talk anymore." The Foot Soldier changes the subject back. "But, I guess that's true. Trust between a leader and his army is a really important thing." The Foot Soldier thinks for a moment. "It'd be nice getting out of there, but the obstacles would be pretty huge… Umm." The Foot Soldier gets an idea. "Does Dave normally interact with P.O.W's? I could act like I was captured or something around the other Plants if I have too." The Peashooter looks sympathetically at the Foot Soldier opposite them.

"It's alright, I understand how painful it would have been losing your brother." The Peashooter fights to hold back the tears threatening to flow. "I'll be fine… just tough remembering that night… being so helpless and forced to watch it happen… I-" The Peashooter stops and gets back on topic. "Sorry. But Yeah, Dave sometimes brings the P.O.W's some rabbit, or deer if they're lucky, whenever he finds some a Chomper may have left unfinished. I mean... that could work, I can act like you're a prisoner to get you there safely." The Foot Soldier returns the sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry... I can imagine it is. My brother was about 20 years old when he was eaten... and it was on my 16th birthday… And… I mean, you can rant if you want, I'll listen." The Foot Soldier gets back on topic again. "That might actually work, yeah." The Peashooter looks down angrily.

"I was barely old enough to start fighting when I was held up against a wall by an All-Star and forced to watch my parents be… ripped apart as they fought to hold back the machine long enough for everyone else to escape…" The Peashooter calms slightly. "That's where my hate of All-Stars comes from. But holy crap," The Peashooter looks up sympathetically again. "I'm sorry to hear about your brother... that must have been the worst day for something like that to happen." The Peashooter gets back on topic. "It will hopefully work... If a Chomper gives you weird looks, knock me over the head and rocket jump up to a roof, just make sure you get away from him, ok?" The Foot Soldier shuts his eyes tightly.

"Oh my god, I would hate All-Stars, too. I'm sorry you had to go through that at such a young age." The Foot Soldier nods sadly. "And Yeah. At the time, it was like the middle of the makeshift sorta birthday party... That we found out he didn't come back... I can vividly remember the commander of the group walking up to us... and he just said _'Ethan didn't come back.'_ " The Foot Soldier tears up a little. "...I spent the rest of the time up in my part of the barracks entertaining the thought that he would come back or that it wasn't real…" The Foot Soldier gets back on topic. "Yeah, hopefully." The Foot Soldier looks at the Peashooter a bit unsure. "Umm... Okay. If that's what you want me to do, sure." The Peashooter sighs.

"I... broke their neck, with a crowbar that sat on the table next to me... I wanted to charge the machine, kill him, or die trying... my brother dragged me out of there though." The Peashooter looks at the Foot Soldier sympathetically. "I'm sorry for your loss, that's really not something someone should go through on their birthday. But at least he lives on your memories, right?" The Peashooter got back on topic, look of reassurance on his face. "Hopefully, it may be tough getting you past Dave's guards, they're our toughest fighters, they'll be the most suspicious. And yeah, make it look like you're escaping captivity, I'd rather get knocked out or knocked over then see you be eaten by a Chomper." The Foot Soldier flinches at hearing the Peashooter breaking the All-Star's neck, but realizes he would do the same.

" I'm sure a lot of people on both sides would want to kill Zomboss." The Foot Soldier forces a reassuring smile. "It's alright. Yeah, memories are always cool. I have these ones from when we were alive, and I was really little. He would just tickle me so hard I couldn't breathe." He chuckles a little bit "... It's kinda weird, in a way though. I mean nowadays, when I think about him I think about his as he was. This 20 year old guy. And then, when I dream about him," The Foot Soldier's voice kinda chokes up for a second as he blinks back a few tears. "He's always like, a baby... Which is weird, because he was older than me. In the dreams I just pick him up and hold him... It's... nice." The Foot Soldier sighs calmly, and then starts back up. "And… I can imagine it would be. If they're the toughest guys you've got, there's no doubt about that. If it comes to that, I'll try not to hurt you." The Peashooter laughs lightly.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone this side of the border want him dead... maybe not Dave... he's a strange man... but I guess that's why we call him Crazy Dave and he treats it as a complement." The Peashooter smiles back. "That sounds nice, and must be a relief from the horrors of this war. Sometimes I dream of my parents, how they picked me up, when I got down. Protected me whenever I couldn't protect myself. How they would treat both my brother and myself equally... after their deaths though... my brother went from being his normal, flamboyant self, to a pretty secluded and unsociable plant. I try my best to cheer him up, but he blames himself for their deaths." The Peashooter stares blankly into the distance for a few seconds before getting back on topic. "Sorry, just... had a memory. Yeah, Dave constantly argues with them, telling them they should be on the front helping in battles rather than protecting him, they're adamant though, I'll give them that. And thanks for that, I'll make sure you aren't hurt until you're a proper agent." The Foot Soldier nods.

"Yeah. I hear Dave is one of those people" The Foot Soldier nods. "It is, and you're right. I'm sure anyone who has those good memories feel a lot better through all of this crap. One of the last ties to the people they loved that those people have, a lot of the time." The Foot Soldier nods and listens as the Peashooter explain the dreams. "It's alright. I get lost in memories sometimes as well. And that's understandable, why the guards would do that. Especially when it comes to a leader like him." After saying so, he nodded "Thanks, and no proble-" The Foot Soldier sees something moving on the leaves on the Peashooter's head and sucks in a breath through his teeth. He stares at the area for a moment before reaching out a hand slowly "Don't move."

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 _A/N: Chapter by Stwolfgang 'Peas' Ambrose, in collaboration with TastyBlueCrayon. Thank you Tasty :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again, my friends. I've done a couple things (Which I hope you're alright with, Stwolfgang) to the format. Hope it's alright with the rest of you as well. Also, there are a lot of pauses, hahaha.**

* * *

The Peashooter stopped dead in his tracks at the Footsoldiers words.

"Okay…? I won't… And umm… what I was going to respond with was Yeah, Dave is just one of those people. He wears that pan on his head for protection, which did him some good early on in this war.". After saying this, the Peashooter nodded his head very slowly and continued "And yeah… the memories are a relief for all of us. It means that the person doesn't die for good. You die twice. First your body, and the second time when they stop speaking your name… Well, not in your case" The Peashooter explained with a small chuckle.

The Footsoldier nodded at the Peashooters statements "It's smart of Dave to wear that pan. And with the whole 'You die Twice' thing… That's pretty deep. Interesting way of thinking."

The Footsoldier soon was back to his original task. "You must have had a run-in with a Zoologist or something, because there is a huuuuge P. Regalis on your head."

The Peashooters expression turned chagrined. "To tell you the truth, I heard that in a Zen Garden. And… Yeah… I think I still have some quills stuck in me from the ambush… But, really? Alright… That's not something I'll hear every day."

The Peashooter raised his pod to try and grab the spider. The Footsoldier held out a hand to stop his.

"Well, you got his freaking tarantula out of it. That's something to be proud of, if you ask me."

"Thanks… Like I said, he ambushed me, and that's pretty much why I got pumped full of quills… I think I spent an hour trying to pull them out." The peashooter said as he lowered his pod back to his side.

"Just a little tip for next time, Don't try to grab the tarantula. It could tag you and then you'd get a pretty painful bite. If anything, just let it crawl on you. They usually ge-"

The Footsoldier was interrupted by the 10-inch spider suddenly scuttling up his arm. He recoiled a bit and the spider made herself comfortable on the side of his face. Due to her size, though, she ended up obscuring a lot of the left half of his face.

The Peashooter laughed a little "That's good to know… It looks like they like you more, though."

The Footsoldier smiled nervously for a moment, mostly due to the fact of the arachnid on him "One, yeah sneak attacks will do that to you. Two… These things liking you isn't always a good thing."

The Footsoldier reached up gently, and tried to brush the spider away. The spider resisted for a moment before suddenly running down his face and neck to his collarbone and then taking refuge underneath his shirt. The Footsoldier jumped as the spider did so. After a moment, his hand found the back of his helmet.

"Oh my… Well, I'm glad I'm wearing a T-Shirt under this. It might've crawled into my death wound if I hadn't been… While I try not to freak out a little, tell me a little more about Zen Garden's please."

The Peashooter had a worried look for a moment "You mean?… I won't pester you about it… it must be a really sensitive subject. But Okay. Zen Gardens are… quite calm. It's mostly where we go to think and recover, unless we're dragged to an infirmary by a Sunflower. And I agree with you, ambushes will. Better than being ambushed by an Engineer. A good number of times, I've been hit in the face with a Sonic grenade… Gah, those things are literally the worst."

The Footsoldier nodded, despite the awkward feeling of something crawling on him and replied. "They sound nice. We don't really get much like that over at our camps… Heck, half the time there isn't even an infirmary. A lot of people we could have saved if the Scientists had been given more supplies and a place like that died because of it. And Sonic grenades are just awful. I've heard a few go off, and they're just this huge burst of very loud sound. Scared the living daylights out of the poor plants."

The Footsoldier only nodded a bit before continuing "And No, it's okay. Some Zombies are more open about their deaths than others, and I'm one of them. Yeah, Death wounds never heal. That's why you'll sometimes see these guys with a ton of bandages wrapped around them that they never take off except to replace. Their deaths are also connected to their fears, as I said with the guy who drowned and the pool."

The Peashooter was silent for a moment before he sighed. "Zomboss really undervalues his troops that much?… I guess he can afford to squander them though. But, one day, he's going to run out of Graveyards to dig up. And… Yeah, Sonic Grenades are. It's just like… having your head split open, leaving you stunned and dazed and… incapable of doing anything." The Peashooter nodded in appreciation for the Zombies honesty before continuing. "Ah… I see… It must be… an experience, living like that."

The Zombie nodded with a small sigh before replying "Yeah, Zomboss does… But he'll learn his lesson eventually. And… yeah, it's not always easy living like that. Like you saw with me, I can't really laugh or else the pain will start back up…" The Footsoldier paused for a moment before proceeding "Being hit in the abdomen repeatedly with a cleaver isn't a very good time."

The Peashooter flinches ed a little at the Footsoldiers last sentence, but stayed on the first topic "Man, I must sound like a wuss… I mean… I know you're enemies to us, but you guys really deserve better. You do all of this for him, and you don't get treated well enough."

After that was said, the Peashooter felt his features slightly contort with anger and sympathy. Unable to hold back the words, he blurted out "Damn… Th-That's… just… indescribable. Tell me who did that to you, I will hunt them down."

The Footsoldier answered to the first part before going on "No, you don't sound like a wuss at all. In a way, it's karma coming back to bite Zomboss in the butt for what he's been doing to you guys." The Footsolider paused for a moment and slightly looked down. "It was… just these druggies… I guess they needed a way to… Y'know smuggle things. So, they figured ' _Hey! What better way to do that than to kidnap someone, tie them up, then use the first thing we can find to cut into them with and gut them? We can fill the body where the intestines were and get out of here after cleaning up the mess!'_ " He explained.

The Peashooter sighed in frustration. "That's wrong on so many levels. The fact that anyone is cruel enough to do that is just wrong on so many levels… But… I won't mention it anymore, it must bring back some uncomfortable memories… But, Yeah. Karma is going to get him one way or another. And Thanks for not thinking I sound like a wuss." he ended with a nod.

"You're welcome. I think Karma is already starting to get him. One of the best generals he had got killed in a battle a few days ago." The Footsoldier chose his next words as carefully as he could. "And, it's alright, you can mention it, it doesn't bother me. I think that those guys might have gotten away with it. When I woke up, nothing was… well… In my stomach, and I was in the back seat of a car."

The Peashooter punched a blackened tree in frustration. He could see the Footsoldier move to stop him, but he still managed to strike the burnt surface of the wood. "How does someone get away with something like that? It just isn't right."

In an attempt to calm the Peashooter a bit, the Footsoldier spoke again "I-I know it isn't, but there's nothing either of us can do."

The Peashooter sighed after a moment "Sorry… I just…want to be able to do something for you… it's just… you didn't have anything to do with them and they just did that…" He told him.

"I-It's alright… I'm doing fine… Some people are just like that. It makes them feel less guilty in the heat of the moment if the person had nothing to do with it."

The Peashooters angry expression remained for a moment as he just looked at the Footsoldier. After a moment, it dropped and he simply said "Alright… I'll trust you on that."

The Peashooters statement made the Soldier feel a little better, and he nodded his thanks. There was a silence for a moment before the Peashooter spoke again.

"And with the General dying… I never knew that happened… I thought that would have been big news around here… I guess his death was quickly avenged and hidden."

"Well, now you know. It probably was. Zomboss doesn't like to announce that stuff, so I only knew because I heard other generals being idiots and yelling about it." The Footsoldier explained, giving a small nod towards the end.

"I can see why he wouldn't want to announce it, it could be both demoralizing for your side, and really good news for us."

"And you know how Zomboss gets when the enemies have advantages… right?"

"Not really... I'm going to guess he lashes out at his troops?"

The Footsoldier looked down a bit before confirming what the Peashooter had said "He uh… Executes the higher officers because he thinks they're the cause of the failure… That's why the other generals were yelling, they-they're just so scared."

"Ah... I can see why they'd be scared then... That's a real risky move by Zomboss... executing his higher generals to send a message."

"Mmm-Hmm. Nobody understands why he does that."

"Anger I guess… blind, blind anger."

"Mmm-Hmm, probably. Anger can be pretty uncontrollable. Especially if you have the temper of Donald Duck and WMDs at your disposal."

"Yeah, that anger is going to seriously bite him in the grass if he isn't careful."

"Yeah. I think the anger has it in sight and is getting ready to strike, to be honest with you."

"Mmm...yeah… I feel bad for those generals… even though I know I shouldn't."

"I can understand why you shouldn't. They've probably caused a lot of hurt to a lot of people."

"You're right… But I just have to feel bad for them… they probably had no part in their death and they're being punished for it."

There was another silence. A silence the two simply walked through, wondering if the other would soon change their mind and begin attacking. After a few minutes, the Footsoldier seemed slightly annoyed with something and looked down his shirt at the Spider the Peashooter had almost forgotten was there, and broke the silence.

"Spider, would you get out of there?" The Soldier said to it.

The Peashooter smiled slightly at the Footsolider's reaction "I'm sure the spider is quite comfortable in there."

The Soldier thought for a minute, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's a little chilly out and it might be warm in there underneath the fabric, so… I can't blame it there, haha."

The Peashooter laughed lightly "Yeah, it is, especially with the wind picking up some more."

After yet another moment of silence, the Footsoldier spoke.

"You know what I just realized?… We've been having this big, long, sorta personal conversation for quite a while now, and we haven't even asked each others names."

The Peashooter stopped in realization for a moment or two before slowly continuing on and speaking "Yeah… you're right. Well uh… the name's Anton… and yours?"

"Whoa. That's a pretty badass name, dude. Makes you sound tough, it's cool. Uhh… I'm Maverick."

Anton nodded slowly and said with a bit of uncertainty "Uh… th-thanks. Your one sounds way cooler though."

"Umm… You're welcome, and thanks…" Maverick paused as he looked at the spider again. "And this things name is… Uhh…" Maverick suddenly got a look of deep thought, and he held that look for a few minutes, much to Anton's amusement. Eventually, the Zombie spoke again "Clover?… Unless you got a better one."

"You're welcome as well. I like it, I can't really think of a name at the moment… too busy trying to keep an eye out for zombies… and Chompers."

Maverick laughed a little "It took me a while to come up with it for some reason." After saying this, he got a look of determination. "I'll help you out until we get close to the place we need to be. I'm a little nervous, to tell you the truth."

Anton nodded his head a little before replying to the Zombie "Don't worry, it was worth the wait." He said with a smile "And, Thanks, but it's you I'm worried about, and Clover too. And it's perfectly normal to feel nervous, you're wandering towards your enemies lines with someone who should be attacking you right now… But rest assured I won't attack you, I will keep my word and make sure you get the future you want and deserve. Besides… If I was marching towards your camps… I would feel nervous as well." The Peashooter paused in thought for a few seconds "We're nearly there… Hopefully we won't run into Vincent at the gate."

Maverick looked a bit more nervous than before, but continued on before asking anything " I guess it is normal. I won't attack you either, I promise. Thanks for being so nice. I'll make sure nobody shoots you, that's for dang sure. And Uhh… Who's Vincent, if I might ask?"

"Thanks again, I really appreciate that." Anton told him before frowning slightly "Just… a cocky sod who is our fastest shooting Peashooters. He'd pump you full of peas before either us could react. I'll keep in front from now on, if that's the case… But I'm pretty sure I saw him heading out towards the frontline."

The Footsoldier just sorta looked at him for a moment before grinning deviously, like he was going to crack some dark joke. " And then after I was pumped full of peas, I'd fall a little and take a knee like ' _Oh. How could you?_ ' and then fall backwards slowly."

The laughter that followed made them both feel a bit better. "I shouldn't be laughing, but I can't help it. He's a Law Pea… he'll probably miss his six shots."

"It's alright that you laughed. That was my intention, to lighten the mood a little. And, if he'll miss that completely fi-" Mavericks sentence was cut short when he heard the sound of gathered plants in the distance. He took a step back and gasped a little.

Before this happened, though Anton laughed a bit in response to the first thing "That's good, I was beginning to feel bad about it." Afterwards however, Anton sighed in slight annoyance, mixed with nervousness and facepalmed. He held it there for a second before bringing it away. "Alright, calm down. If you hand me your blaster, I'll take you ahead as a prisoner, ok?"

"S-Sorry… I'm just a little more nervous than I thought I would be when we got this far." he explained as he slowly handed over his weapon as he had been instructed to do.

Anton took the blaster "It's alright, it's perfectly normal to feel nervous, you're walking into the unknown." He paused for a moment before continuing "Thanks, ok… Let's get you inside. Remember, don't say anything unless you're asked… I'll try to get them to avoid checking you for any secret weapons and that."

Maverick nodded slowly "I guess you're right, there. I kinda feel like I'm over-reacting a bit though… and Alright. I won't I promise, and th-thanks."

"I'm pretty nervous myself… hehe. You aren't over-reacting… just try and stay as calm as you can, I'll go first and talk to the guards." Anton paused once again to take a deep breath, and Maverick did the same, which calmed his own nerves a little bit as well. Anton continued with "Yep, let's get this done with." as he began walking towards the gate, the zombie following him.

"Umm… Why are you nervous, if I might ask? And, thanks for saying so, I'll try my best. And, Alright, you do that then."

Anton turned to look at Maverick "Because there is the chance that my… persuasion won't be strong enough… and I may have lead you to your death unintentionally. But… I think we've got this."

The Footsolider made a small, nervous sound, but perked right back up afterwards. "Yeah… I guess we do." he agreed. Though he kept it inside, Maverick slightly wondered if he would survive this.

The first guard at the gate was a Cactus, which Maverick slightly shied away from, and didn't make eye contact with. Anton noticed this, and whispered 'Sorry', to which the Zombie responded with a nod of understanding.

As they approached, the Cactus shot an extremely threatening look towards the Footsoldier, a look Anton was glad that the Zombie didn't see. Anton looked at the Cactus warily as he explained "He's a prisoner, alright… Will you let me in, Winona?"

The cactus nodded slowly and hesitantly as she opened the gate. Before the two could get much farther, she looked over at Maverick and suddenly had a small outburst.

"DON'T THINK I HAVEN'T GOT MY EYE ON YOU!" She yelled. The sudden loud sound caused the Zombie to flinch noticeably. Not wanting to stick around much longer, Anton nudged Maverick forwards with his blaster and they both walked through the gate.

"You seem a little shaken."

The Footsoldier didn't reply.

The Peashooter sighed once they were out of earshot of the guards "Sorry about her, she hates zombies after what happened to her crush…"

That got a reply out of the Zombie "That… That's okay, I don't blame her… if that's the case."

After the Zombie replied, Anton began to explain. "Shame what happened to him… he just went in too deep… he shouldn't have gone after that engineer. It was…tough…Winona became so brutally efficient, Dave didn't want her on the lines simply because it was having such a bad effect on her." He paused for half a second before finishing up "Every zombie she slew… she seemed to enjoy it more… it became so much of a problem that he had to do what he had to do."

Maverick only nodded when he thought appropriate to do so as Anton explained. The only words he spoke after that were "Yeah… I can imagine so… Makes me wonder what she was thinking when we were walking up there…"

Anton replied honestly " She was probably fighting the urge to kill you."

Anton once again paused as he turned to a hill on the far side of the quiet camp. He mumbled to himself for a moment "It's quieter when everyone is away fighting…" he then raised his voice back up to its usual tone. "Well the hill is where Dave lives… that's where we're heading."

Maverick nodded slowly "A-Alright."

Anton frowned a little "You're still nervous, aren't you?"

Maverick nodded and replied with "Yeah…But I'll try not to show that I am."

"You'll be fine, as long as you don't hurt Dave, he'll have no reason to distrust either of us." Anton explained as he began walking along the path leading up the hill.

"Alright. If you say so. I-I'll trust you here." The Zombie replied as he followed.

Anton nodded his head and knocked on the door to the mansion-esque building. "Alright, let's see who's on guard duty today."

The Footsolider looked at the ground as the doors opened. Anton turned to the doors. A surprised Law Pea stood there. Antons reaction was immediate and he held out both pods, telling the Law Pea to stop "VINCENT, WAIT! DON'T SHOOT!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Footsoldier cringe, expecting to be shot to pieces. The Law Pea controlled himself and looked at the Peashooter angrily

"What do you want, Anton?"

Anton walked through the door, shielding Maverick as he did so. He shot a look of warning at the Law Pea "I just need to see Dave. With the Footsoldier."

Vincent looked at Maverick, a look of pure disgust on his face. He turned back to Anton, and his voice held anger as he spoke "Fine. He's in the lounge."

His voice turned from angry, to threatening as he looked back to the Footsoldier "Just know, Zombie, I will blast you full of peas before you can say stop, if you DARE, touch Dave."

With that, Vincent turned away and headed up the stairs, leaving Anton shaking his head, and Maverick making a small, distressed sound. Anton turned to look at Maverick.

"Some plants, right?"

Maverick looked at Anton for a moment with a sort of awkward gaze. Noticing this, Anton cleared his throat and looked around.

"Anyway… I think I can hear Dave."

Anton approached the entrance to the lounge and stepped in.

"D-Dave, I need your help."

The large man looked up from what he was doing, and turned to face Anton. He smiled at the Peashooter before speaking.

"Anything for one of my plants. What do you need, Anton?"

Antons expression went slightly chagrined as he grabbed his left arm with his right one as he explained "I found a zombie sympathizer."

Dave nodded, the news not having an effect on his usual, perky smile. "Well, where is your new friend? Are they a scientist, I know that they're quite shy."

Anton looked over at Maverick, who had a look that said 'Please don't snipe me. Please don't snipe me.' Sensing the gaze, the Soldier looked back at him, and Anton motioned for him to come over. Maverick nodded and slowly did so. Once he was in the room, he slightly waved.

"H… Hello."

Dave's smile broadened a bit as he held out a hand. "Nice to meet you…?"

Antons gaze again shifted to Maverick, and he noticed that the Zombie looked particularly worried.

"His name is Maverick." Anton answered. Dave gave him a small nod and said his thanks before turning back to the Footsoldier, who has shifted backwards about a half a step.

"Nice to meet you, Maverick. What brings you here today?"

"N-Nice to meet you, too… Uhh… I-I'm sorry, I'm just a little…" There was a bit of unhearable mumbling, that ended with 'At the moment'.

Anton shook his head, and turned to explain to Dave, who looked a bit confused "Vincent threatened to murder him if he even touched you."

Dave 'Hmm'd for a moment before peeking outside the room at the banister. He saw the Law Pea standing there, glaring hate and threat at the Footsoldier. Dave's perky mood remained the same though, and he attempted to lighten the Soldier's mood by shaking his hand. Instead, it made him flinch a little. Despite this, Dave spoke

"Well that's alright. As long as you're a friend, then that's all fine with me. You're happy to stay here if you like, I've got plenty of space."

The zombie looked up at the man nervously "Alight… if you say so."

Suddenly, Maverick felt something begin to move around in his shirt, and eventually he felt something dig at his neck. He slowly turned his head downwards to find that the spider was trying to make her way out. Mavericks gasped slightly and brushed the spider back down before looking at Dave again.

"Uhh… I'll just try to believe you didn't see that."

Mumbling came from above, and Dave shook his head as Anton moved towards the stairs. After releasing the Zombies hand, Dave spoke.

"Go with Anton," He said, making the Peashooter freeze at the mention of his name.

Dave continued "He'll take you up to one of the rooms. I'll go get some medical supplies and something to put your spider in." With that, Dave smiled again, this time a bit mischievously, and walked out of the room.

Maverick did as he was told to do and followed the Peashooter after Dave had left. There was a moment of silence

"Umm… Alright… Not going as bad as I thought it would so far. Which is a really good thing… I kinda thought I would've been so shot up I was unrecognizable by now."

Anton started up the stairs, laughing lightly as he did so. "

I'm just relieved Dave acted like he did… that surprised me a little bit. But hey, relax a bit, you're in safe hands now."

"Y-Yeah… It surprised me a bit, too. It's just, uhh…" The zombie paused for a moment before speaking again.

"The first two Plants we met here… thinking of what may happen is making me nervous." he explained.

Anton looked at him, a look of sympathy on his face. 'Winona and Vincent? They won't be any trouble. I'll stay up to make sure they don't try anything in the night."

The zombie looked at the steps for a moment before they reached the top. Anton lead the Zombie to a door before Anton suddenly felt himself be jerked backwards by his arm. He looked at the pod that had snatched his arm for a moment before looking at the Law Pea that took it.

He felt his lips snarl at the sight of the Plant. "What do you want Vincent?"

The Law Pea jerked his arm closer to him, now developing an authoritative look.

"Don't you use that tone of voice, boy. Don't listen to that Zombie. He's got you manipulated. He's gonna-"

Anton jerked his arm away with all his strength, making the Law Pea release his tight grip. Antons voice picked up a growl.

"Leave him alone. I won't let you touch him."

Vincent's voice did the same "We'll see…"


End file.
